By Kolawole Ojebisi
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has assured Nigerians that the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, will be investigated as demanded by some quarters.
A deputy director of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Winifred Adekunle, gave the assurance on behalf of the AGF on Wednesday at the ministry’s premises.
Adekunle, who spoke on behalf of Adegbite, stressed that the Federal Government will exhibit due diligence in carrying out the investigation.
She said this in her address to a group of lawyers who marched to the ministry to submit a petition calling for Kyari’s immediate investigation and arrest.
In her address, Adekunle stated, “Your petition will receive immediate attention. There will be a response, and whatever questions you have asked will be addressed appropriately. Be assured that the Attorney General and the Solicitor General are people you can rely on. Whatever you have requested will be addressed.”
Today marks the second day of protests by Nigerians at the AGF’s office, demanding Kyari’s probe over allegations of corruption.
Recall that on Tuesday, a group of protesters under the banner of “Concerned Citizens Against Corruption” stormed the AGF’s office, calling for a thorough investigation into Kyari and NNPCL’s transactions over the past five years.
Meanwhile barely twenty-four hours after the protest, a group of lawyers from the “Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law” on Wednesday, marched to the AGF’s office to submit a petition seeking Kyari’s investigation, arrest, and prosecution.
The petition, dated April 23, 2025, co-signed by the group’s convener, Emmanuel Agada, and National Secretary, Jonathan Uchendu, alleged that Kyari’s leadership of the NNPCL was riddled with allegations of corruption, enabled by his opaque management style.
The lawyers noted that Nigerians are disenchanted that President Bola Tinubu only stopped at removing Kyari from the job after Nigerians took to the streets to demand his sack and did not proceed to take immediate and calculated steps to investigate him.
The lawyers pointed to alleged fraud in the rehabilitation and re-streaming of government-owned refineries, where funds spent reportedly do not align with the results.
They highlighted discrepancies such as the Kyari-led administration’s claim that $400 million was invested by Matrix Energy Limited in the Port Harcourt Refinery, despite a $1.5 billion Federal Executive Council approval for the same project.
Further allegations include the NNPCL owing Matrix Energy over $2 billion, a debt purportedly serviced through daily crude oil allocations of 80,000 barrels.
The group questioned why these transactions were conducted and why Nigerians were not informed.
The group questioned why and how the Federal Government, through the NNPCL, is indebted to Matrix Oil by $2 billion.
They further demanded to know why the debt was being serviced with crude oil allocations.
The lawyers also questioned who the parties were to the negotiations and why the public is kept in the dark about it.
The petitioners proceeded to urge the AGF to “Review all agreements entered into by the NNPCL under Kyari’s administration. Investigate the transactions to recover misappropriated funds and identify responsible parties.
“Launch a fact-finding investigation to quantify the financial losses and recommend recovery steps. Establish a commission of inquiry into NNPCL’s handling of refinery repairs under Kyari and the sacked board”.
The group emphasised that such actions would ensure accountability, deter future misconduct, and prevent a recurrence of past mistakes while they reaffirmed their willingness to assist the AGF in conducting a transparent and exhaustive investigation.
